文、攝影／曾凱暄
相傳玄天上帝曾是一名屠夫。在佛法中，就算只是殺害動物也是罪過。觀音菩薩告訴他洗清罪惡的唯一方法，就是在河裡剖開他的肚子清洗內臟。他也真的這麼做了。然而他的胃和腸卻變成龜和蛇。這兩隻動物不論男女都殘害，甚至殺死不少村民。於是他用七星寶劍捉拿牠們，將牠們踩在腳下，拯救了所有人。這個畫面最後成為他的代表形象。
Legend has it that 玄天上帝used to be a butcher. Since killing even animals is a bad thing in the Buddhist teaching, Kuan-ing the Goddess of mercy told him that the only way to wash himself clean was to cut open his tummy in the river. And so he did. But his stomach and intestines turned into a turtle and a snake. These two animals harmed and even killed villagers, men and women alike. Using his Sword of the Seven Stars, he caught them both under his foot saving everybody from disaster. This scene eventually became his signature image.
民間認為玄天上帝能帶來祥瑞和長壽。他的神情肅穆，手持七星寶劍。其實玄天上帝的原形是龜與蛇的合體，這是源於中國古代的星宿崇拜。最後還有一件也很重要的事，就是你看這張照片，你看他沒穿鞋，他就是我們所說的「赤腳仙仔」。玄天上帝自宋朝就有廣大信徒。現代無論是屠宰業還是肉品供應商，都會祭拜這位守護神。
玄天上帝 is seen as the one having the ability to bring good fortune and extend lifespan. He himself is solemn, holding the Seven Star Sword. As a matter of fact, 玄天上帝’s original form was the combo of both the turtle and the snake, originated from the worship of Chinese constellation in the ancient time. Last but not least, as you can see on this picture, he doesn’t wear shoes, so he is also the so-called Barefoot Deity. Since Song Dynasty, he has been well worshiped. At present, people from both the slaughter industry and the meat-providing industry typically pray to him very much, for he is the patron God.
蓮池潭所建玄天上帝像
Statue on the Lotus Pond
